US road death rate down due to safer cars

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) of the United States has released a study that shows declining death rates for road accidents in the US are due to safer vehicles, not better drivers or improved roadways.

The graph shows the actual rate of deaths in highway accidents from 1985 to 2004, and the hypothetical rate of death if cars now were still based on 1985 designs.

The hypothetical death rate was formulated through separating vehicle effects from other effects on auto accident death rates from 1985 to 2004, and with that data estimating what the death rate would be if people still drove the same cars they drove in 1985. Factors included into the estimation includes vehicle usage pattern as the vehicles aged.

Traffic environments in the USA have actually become more dangerous since 1994, but vehicles that are safer have helped offset the death rate. In the case of no vehicle safety improvements, death rates actually go up from 1994 onwards in the hypothetical situation.

I believe Malaysian lives are equally as important as American lives. Airbags. ABS. Crumple zone. Crash test results. These words have been repeated over and over again that it’s getting kind of tiring. The majority of the rakyat can only afford the Proton Saga if they need a bigger car than the affordable supermini alternatives (Naza Sutera, Perodua cars) that we have. Any MP reading this blog who wants to fight for our right to affordable and safe vehicles?

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.

this is the pathetic reality of malaysia's automotive policy. if not for the excessive tax and import duty, many road deaths and and injuries could have been prevented since malaysians could actually afford safer cars.

This topic is a taboo to them MPs I think. In Malaysia, there is an established world-leader in safety products cant even get the license to sell their products here.. Expand your mind readers.. Shall we get an only petition done or what?

"Consumers still think it is a bit strange that P1 going to be protected under NAP for whatever performance and absolute products they churn out". The motorist fraternity sentiment took in the perception that they had been sucked of virtually everything, except P1 still enjoy generous NAP and grace-and-favor in its homes protected market.

The P1 has had the NAP created especially for them to taken away everything economic opportunity in auto sector regardless of adverse consequences to consumers, including sacrifice standard/basic safety features like ABS, airbag, NCAP test, etc. They suck wide monetary from consumers yet no social responsibilities at all but retain their so call â€œcovet title of national iconâ€.

As far as that piece of pariah NAP crap is there, more and more unsafe car will be landed in our country, regardless of local or imported makes. Despite the â€œlurid headlinesâ€ surrounding P1 hype on â€œstrategic partnerâ€ and let the MD have more time to tidy out P1 house, but to see new model(s) with better safety features or discontinue the existing unsafe car remain â€œout of MD agendaâ€!

The existing unsafe cars on our roads couple with â€œhell-driversâ€ with treacherous road conditions (except highway) would continue to claim more life including against the innocent pedestrian. Government effort to educate public on road safety campaign is â€œhalf-past-sixâ€ effort as the P1-led unsafe cars leading to motorist â€œface certain deathâ€ on the road is highly probable. It is look like NAP compelling "the motorist committed to sacrificing their cheap lives on unsafe car and G will not allow any foreign safe cars to be sold at affordable price to the consumersâ€ â€“ protect P1 mahâ€¦â€¦. This is the prices the consumers have to pay in Car-Tax-Land â€“ high price for car yet life is so cheap on the road.

malaysian roads suck! hole here hole there, even the safest cars can be spoiled by these nasty roads… so before any road safety policies are done, please ensure all the roads are safe and holeless!!! don juz put attentions on wat stupid bridge or bullet train projects… damn!

Duh….Just go to Indian temple and ask the priest to make a prayer for your car….that's what we can do at least……………….There's no way we can survive alive without those safety features when it really comes to accident(sometimes,don't blame on driver's fault when accident happen because it just happen).

As it's a 'budget car'….our national carmaker don't think it's necessary(safe cost in this competitive market so that the car will be cheaper).Sigh,really unfair.Life is not cheap though.

seriously its all in the hand of government..thy can easily draw up a draft saying any car that is out of factory line mus hav airbags or ABS…very easy..but wd any of the local manuafactures obey this??

e-nabilll, the problem is, there's no such implementation on the wajib of ABS n airbags n safety tests on Malaysian cars. If the gov implement it, they sure hv to follow. Like previously, the rear seat's seat belt. now all cars got seat belts at rear of new cars manufatured… even Kancils.

Please drive properly my friends. Don't let this happen to you. I feel so sad a whole family died. Paul Tan: Could you load this pictures up as a reminder to our Malaysian friends to drive properly? Thanks Paul.

In relation to the posts, if the car that crashed was a volvo, probably the people would only be injured. But of course I cannot be 100% for sure. What makes a journey safe is 70% is driver driving habits, 30% is the type of car that is manufactured. If that is volvo, even if some family members died, some would have probably survived. Who knows no one will die?

Its a 1.5L engine car. the actual cc is 1498cc which states on the road tax. Probably a Toyota… (my family car is 1498cc also.. its a corolla with 5A-GE engine) or any imported cars… as identified from the bumpers that left there… just dunno the actual model… sad tragedy…

Of course drive carefully will reduce the probability of accidents – but unsafe car make it highly vulnerable to higher level of injury or lead to unnecessary death. Perhap with ABS, high rating for NCAP or airbag, it will safe life!

Car's safety feature is like buying insurance, we can drive safely, but sometimes due to factor like bad road condition, weather condition, or maybe the other driver fault, we need to have some air bag and ABS to avoid the death of life. Cannot denied drive safe, driving attitude, follow the traffic rule also very important for saving life.

One of the car manufacturer, Mecedes said in it's safety campaign, a car manufacturer can make the car as safe as possible, but if the driver drives recklessly accidents can happen. Something like that.

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